Container dispensing device



June 1, 1965 A- K. GRIMSLEY CONTAINER DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Dec. 8. 1961 a a m M WM m a a M United States Patent 3,186,608 CQNTAlNER DISPENSING DEVICE Arvid Kjellsen Grimsley, Rockaway, N.J., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 8, 1961, Ser. No. 157,898 1 Claim. (Cl. 222-554) The present invention relates broadly to containers, and is more particularly concerned with a dispensing device for comminuted materials wherein the closure means is comprised of a stationary element and a rotatable element which cooperate in a novel manner to connect the latter element to the former and to limit its rotation thereon.

It is a primary aim of the instant invention to provide a dispenser for power-like materials desirably constructed entirely of plastic and which has as one important advantage thereof insusceptibilityi to attack by sodium chloride and related substances.

Another object of this invention lies in the provision of a shaker or sifter comprised of a minimum number of readily molded parts and which further features reusability.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser particularly designed for comminuted condiments and formed of a container body, a stator readily insertable thereon and a rotor for s'nappable engagement with the stator.

A further object of the instant invention lies in the provision of a dispenser of the foregoing character wherein the stator is provided generally centrally with an irregularly shaped opening and the rotor is equipped with depending fingers which effect engagement with the stator through the opening therein and abut thereagainst during rotation to determine the open and closed positions of the dispenser. I

An even further object of this invention is to provide a container with a body portion closed at one end, an annular stator connected to said body portion at the opposite end thereof and equipped with a plurality of dispensing openings, means on the inner wall of the stator providing abutment means thereon, a rotor rotatable upon said stator and having a plurality of openings for registration with the dispensing openings in said stator, and means depending from said rotor engageable with said stator to provide a connection therewith and contacting said abut- FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the container, but showing it in an open position;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view taken generally along the line 44 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4, but show: ing the closure means in an open position.

Referring now to the drawings, a container embodying the novel concepts of this invention is designated therein generally by the numerallt), and in its preferred form,

all parts thereof are plastic in order to eifect cost and dhhfifih Patented June 1, 1%65 weight advantages, as well as to eliminate attack by table salt or other comminuted materials typically used in dispensers of this character. Polyethylene attains these objectives, although other thermoplastic materials such as polyamide, polyesters, vinyl polymers and copolymers, polymers of vinylidene chloride, polystyrene, and polypropylene and its copolymers may be employed.

The container or dispensing device 10 comprises a tubular body portion 11, shown as cylindrical although other shapes can be utilized, having one end thereof closed by a wall member 12 heat sealed or otherwise attached to the body portion 11. The opposite end of the body portion supports closure means, identified generally at 13, and comprised of only two elements, an inner disc or stator 14 and an outer disc or rotor 15. I

Mounting of the closure means 13 upon the body portion 11 is achieved in a simplified manner, while at the same time providing a non-leakable connection which resists accidental separation, by equipping the upper end of the body portion with a plurality of relatively short length circumferentially spaced grooves 16 which receive complementarily shaped ribs 17 formed on the outer surface of an annular flange or skirt portion 18 depending from a relatively flat annulus or ring-shaped body portion 19 of the stator 14. As appears best in FIGURE 3, the annular skirt 18 is spaced radially inwardly of the outer periphery .of the stator body portion 19 to provide a shoulder 19a which seats upon the upper end of the tubular body portion 11 in flush tight fitting contact therewith.

Proper sizing and dimensioning of the annular stator 14 and tube body 11 assures that a leakproof connection therebetween is attained, which further resists separation if the container 10 is dropped. The stator is press fitted in place and relative rotation between the container body 11 and stator 14 is prevented by the rib or tongue and groove arrangement, and yet, the container may be re-used simply by prying upwardly on the shoulder section 19a. The plastic container materials are of course flexible, and removal of the stator can be aided by flexing the container body inwardly.

The upper surface of the ring-like body portion of the stator 14 is recessed at 20 to seat therein the rotor 15, shown as taking the form of a disc-like body portion 21 of essentially circular shape when viewed in plan. The rotor body portion along its upper surface is for-med with finger manipulable means or an upstanding rib 22, while depending from said body portion is a plurality of circumferentially spaced lugs or fingers 23a-d each formed with a stern portion 24zz-d and a claw portion 25a-d, the novel functions of which will shortly be described.

The annular body portion 19 of the stator 14 has a central enlarged opening. Along its inner annular wall 27, surrounding the opening, are a pair of diametrally opposed radially inwardly facing abutment means or lugs 27a and 27b which function in cooperation with the stem port-ions 24ad of the depending rotor fingers 23a-d as stop means to limit the extent of rotative movement of the rotor 15 and to thus predetermine the open and closed positions of the closure means 13.

To explain more fully, after the stator 14 has been pressed in place in the position of FIGURE 3, the rotor 15 is oriented thereabove so that the depending fingers Elia-d on said rotor are circumferentially offset or out of alignment with the abutment means 27a and 27b'on the stator. The rotor is then pressed inwardly against .the stator, which causes the claw portions 25a-d to flex radially inwardly past the edge of the wall 27, and into snap engagement with the lower surface of the stator 14,

in the manner of FIGURE 3. As thus positioned, the

stem portion 24a+d of the rotor fingers ZSa-d normally contact the inner annular wall 27 of the stator body portion 19 intermediate the lugs 27a and 27b thereon. Further, the rotor body portion 21 isreceived in the recess 29 of the stator so-as to be essentially flush therewith.

The stator in its ring-shaped body portion 19 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced dis.-

pensing, orifices 30 located for registration with circumferentially spaced dispensing openings 31 in the rotor body portion 21 when the closure means is in the open or dispensing position of FIGURES 2 and 5., As can be seen therein, thefingersZSa and 23c on the rotor are then in abutment with one side of the lugs 27a and 2712, thereby efiectively limiting rotation of the rotor and assuring that the rotor will not over-travel to a closed position.

On the other hand, to advancethe rotor from an open position to the closed position of FIGURES 1, 3 and 4, wherein the rotor body portion 21' between its openings 31 blocks the stator dispensing openings 30-, the finger manipulable rib 22 is grasped and a clockwise turning force applied thereto. This causes the fingerstern portions 24a-d to travel along the inner annular wall 27 of the stator until the rotor fingers 23b and 23d abut, against the other side of the stator lugs 27a and 27b, :as appears best in FIGURE 4. It is then immediately apparent to the user that the closure means 13 is completely closed 1 and leakage will not then occur.

It is to be seen from the foregoing that applicant has provided a novel dispensing device for comminuted ma terials wherein the closure means is comprised of a-sta tionary element and a rotatable elementwhich cooperate in a novel manner to connect the latter element to the former andto limit its rotation thereon. The container is preferably all plastic, although all applications there A dispensing device adapted to be sealingly fitted to an I t 1 4 Y open end of a container in circumferentially coextensive relation therewith, comprising:

an annular stator having dispensing openings'and a central enlarged opening; therein and adapted to be fixedly and sealing'ly fit to said open container end; 'rotor disk in rotatable engagement with said stator and having an. outer diameter less than the outer diameter of said stator, and having a plurality of openings for registration with said dispensing openings in said-stator; a plurality of radially inwardly facing'abutment lugs on an inner annular wall of said stator; 1 a plurality of fingers depending from said rotor having lower claw'portions engaging thelower surface of said stator to seat said rotor within "an annular recess within the upper surface 'of'said stator; said annular wall, surrounding and defining said centralenlarged opening; providing an edge from which the plural-ityof radially inwardly facing abutment 1ugs, project and pastewhich edge the lower claw portions of the plurality-0f fingers snap; I

and upper stem portions of said fingers contacting the.

inner annular wall of that: said stator "so said rotor may rotate with relation to said stator thus bringing into alignment said stator and rotor openings for dispensingproduct within said container andsaid stem portions may engage said abutment lugs to stop rotation of said; rotor when said stator and rotor openings are aligned. V

LOUIS J. DEMBO, PrimaryExZlmin er. 'LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Examiner. 

